This disclosure relates to a transport apparatus that transports a rack holding a sample container.
There is a transport apparatus that transports a rack holding a sample container (for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-137749 (Patent Literature 1)).
Patent Literature 1 discloses a transport apparatus that transports a sample to a measurement device. The transport apparatus includes a first transport unit, a second transport unit, a rack sender unit, a movable member, and a rack transfer member. The first transport unit transports a rack in longitudinal directions of the first transport unit between both ends of the transport apparatus. The rack sender unit extends a first direction orthogonal to the first transport unit. The rack sender unit is located between the first transport unit and the second transport unit. The second transport unit locates a sample container held in a rack at a sample loading position of a measurement device. The movable member is movable in the first direction between the first transport unit and the rack sender unit. The rack transfer member is a pair of hook members. The rack transfer member is arranged at the rack sender unit. In order to move a rack on the first transport unit to the rack sender unit, the movable member stops the rack on the first transport unit once, and then moves the stopped rack toward the rack sender unit. At the rack sender unit, the rack is passed from the movable member to the rack transfer member. The rack thus passed to the rack transfer member is moved to the second transport unit by the rack transfer member.